The Basque biocompany Biolan Microbiosensores has developed a biosensor capable of easily and immediately detecting the presence of gluconic acid in grape juice: a harmful ferment whose presence reduces wine quality. This acid originates in the Botrytis cinérea fungus, which attacks bunches of grapes just when they are ripening and being harvested, and indicates, to a great extent, the quality of the wine, because the acid is either not detected or is found in very small amounts in the best wines.

This biosensor developed by Biolan Microbiosensores provides three basic advantages that make it a very attractive product for the market: it is easy to operate, in enables real time measuring to be carried out and its market price, about €3,000, is very affordable, especially taking into account that the methods used by most wineries to detect this acid up to now fluctuated in price between €35,000 and €65,000.

The fact that the biosensor combines three key factors such as price, operability and immediacy opens up an interesting course of action for all kinds of wineries, which, thanks to this Biolan Microbiosensores product, will be able to know whether the grapes they have are affected by the Botrytis cinérea fungus or not. In this way, it will be sufficient to press a few bunches in order to obtain a small sample of grape juice and, in only three minutes, the Biolan biosensor will determine whether gluconic acid is level or not and in what levels.

Marketing of this product, addressed essentially to wineries and wine certification laboratories, is currently being carried out in the Rioja Alavesa and in the rest of Spain, although Biolan Microbiosensores intends to start its international marketing and present this product at different wine exhibitions that take place in France.

Biolan Microbiosensores is a technology-based company, located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, that develops, manufactures and markets biosensors for the Agri-food, Pharmaceutical and Agriculture sectors.